But your YouTube channel is only as good as the number of subscribers, traffic, and views you get on your videos. You could be producing the best video content in the world, but it’s useless if nobody watches it.

I love YouTube because it’s a great way to repurpose content.

After I upload content to my YouTube channel, I share it on my website, blog posts, and social media platforms.

If you’re struggling to grow your YouTube channel, it’s probably because you’re not using anything to help you create better content. While the YouTube platform in itself is useful, there are other tools you can use that will enhance your content and make it easier for you to manage your page.

That was my inspiration for this post. I’ll show you the top 12 tools you need to grow your YouTube channel. Let’s dive in.

1. TubeBuddy

I like this tool because it’s a free browser extension as opposed to software you need to download and launch separately each time you want to take advantage of its features.

TubeBuddy automatically integrates with YouTube and assists you with managing your channel.

It allows you to run tests that will improve the performance of your content.

You can test:

tags

titles

thumbnails

descriptions

The tool helps you figure out which ones work the best for the exposure and growth of your channel.

Another top benefit of TubeBuddy is the scheduling feature. You can determine when you want uploaded videos to get published in the future.

The scheduling tool works both ways. You can also set a specific time and date for a video to be removed from certain playlists on the channel without having to do it manually.

TubeBuddy tracks your rankings and compares your analytics to those of your competition on YouTube as well as in Google searches.

This extension lets you update videos in bulk. It’s a great option if you have hundreds of videos and want to update all the descriptions simultaneously.

If you’re planning to promote one of your videos in the description of all your other videos, consider this tool.

You can also improve your thumbnail creation process with TubeBuddy.

Plus, it has options for all different types of YouTube users:

creators

brands

agencies

networks

No matter which category you fall in, TubeBuddy will have you covered.

This extension makes it easier for you to reach your YouTube subscribers on other social media channels. It’s truly an all-in-one tool.

2. Social Blade

Social Blade is another top option for you to consider. I like it because it tracks different statistics on YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, and Twitter.

6. Pixlr

The right thumbnail can help you get more clicks and views on your content. Pixlr makes it easy for you to create high performing thumbnails.

This tool is also great for including images into any video content.

Pixlr allows you to add layers and effects to any image.

This software offers tons of photo editing options. It can help you with any of your visual content needs outside of YouTube as well.

Plus, they have a web app and mobile app. It’s easy to edit and upload content no matter what device you’re using.

7. Tubular Insights

Formally known as ReelSEO, Tubular Insights keeps you up to date with the latest trends, tips, and analysis for your video marketing strategy.

Experts offer advice and guides on this network to help marketers producing video content.

Tubular Insights tracks all video content from all devices and platforms from across the globe. Then, it breaks down these videos by trends.

Use this information to create timely and relevant to your audience videos.

Here, you’ll find great blog posts about all topics related to YouTube. There are even extremely easy to follow how-to guides.

You can search for top YouTube creators and learn from their success stories.

8. Keyword Tool

As the name implies, Keyword Tool gives you suggestions for YouTube keywords.

You can use these keywords in your titles, tags, and descriptions.

The great part about Keyword Tool is it offers long-tail keyword suggestions as well.

Just as you optimize your site for search engines, you need to optimize your YouTube channel for search.

In addition to YouTube, Keyword Tool can help you generate relevant keywords for Google, Amazon, Bing, and other search engines. You’ll benefit from a higher ranking and more traffic to all your channels.

Select the country you’re targeting to improve your reach.

As I said before, creating a great video isn’t enough. You need people to see your content, or it won’t be effective.

You want to make sure your videos can be found through organic searches. That’s why you should use Keyword Tool.

9. Camtasia

Lots of times, you’ll be explaining how to do something on your computer.

But you don’t want to record your screen with a camera or smartphone. It’s not efficient and looks unprofessional. You’ll likely have a glare on the screen as well.

Plus, if you’re just explaining how to do something without showing people, it will be extremely difficult for them to follow your instructions.

Camtasia is my favorite tool for screen recordings.

After you record your screen, you can mark up the videos, make edits, and add effects. It’s ideal for anyone creating video tutorials because you can record the movement of your mouse and show keystrokes as well.

Add notes and other annotations such as highlights, arrows, and captions for people watching your videos without sound.

A voice narration feature allows you to record yourself speaking during or after you record the screen. Camtasia has other audio effects and even has an option to add music.

It’s great for showcasing presentations and slideshows via YouTube.

This tool also has a green screen function, animations, and interactivity features such as quizzes. Overall, it’s something you should have in your arsenal of your YouTube tools.

10. vidIQ

I like vidIQ because it’s another way to monitor and track your YouTube audience analytics.

Find out exactly who is watching your content. Then, you can create videos that appeal to that audience. Market to their needs accordingly.

With vidIQ, you can get detailed reports to improve your YouTube channel.

The platform also offers SEO tools.

In addition, you can identify influencers, manage comments, and run a competitive comparison against other channels.

Use the vidIQ free Google Chrome extension. The extension allows you to see the top keywords and tags used by other channels.

Monitor keyword scores, views, and other search term metrics all from one place.

You can also track your engagement metrics on both YouTube and Facebook with the vidIQ tool.